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I was born in Brazil and when I was 12 years old I came to America and I am here since then. I was thaught in Brazil that the father of aviation and the first person to fly on an heavier-than-air aircraft was Santos-Dumont (a Brazilian). In the United States I was thaught something different about the fathers of aviation. I was told that the Wright Brothers (both Americans) were the first men to fly and the inventors of the airplane.
There was definately something wrong. I set forth to find out who the Fathers of Aviation were based on historical fact, not cultural or national pride. Here are my findings...
The Wright Brothers | |
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Wilbur was born in 1867 in Millville, Indiana and had two older brothers but Orville was only born 4 years later in 1871 when their family lived in Dayton, Ohio. When Wilbur was 22 and Orville 18 they started their own printing firm where they printed their own newspaper. In 1892 they bought bicycles and began repairing them for friends and eventually opened their own bike shop and started making their own bicycle.
In 1896 Wilbur Wright read about the death of a famous German glider pilot, the news sparked an interested of flying and flight in Wilbur and Orville. In 1899, Wilbur wrote to the Smithsonian Institution looking for information on Aeronautical Research. In a few months, Wilbur had read everything there was to know about flight.
In 1903, after a few years of praises and bloopers on their aviation research they built a heavier-than-air glider with a 4-cylinder, 12-horsepower engine (built by themselves) and shipped it to Kitty Hawk and assembled it there.
In December 17, 1903 Wilbur tried to fly but stalled on take-off the bothers tossed a coin to find out who was going to try next and Orville won the toss! At 10:35 AM Orville made the first heavier-than-air, machine-powered flight in the history of the world. He flew for 12 seconds and covered 120 feet.
Alberto Santos-Dumont | |
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Santos-Dumont was born in 1873 in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. He grew up in a coffee plantation located in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He learned to drive the steam tractors and even the locomotive of the plantation train as a child. In 1891 he and his family moved to Paris, France.
When Alberto was 17, he had money and an interest in mechanics and machines and he bought himself an automobile. He became a tutor in physics, chemistry, mechanics and electricity but always had one objective: to fly.
In 1905 he projected his first heavier-than-air craft and in 1906 he build his first plane in and named it 14 Bis, it flew for 197 feet on a height of 11 feet off the ground.
Here is a Table for you people that don't like to read
Difference Wright Brothers Santos-Dumont Said, "I want to fly!" 1896 late 1890s Actually flew December 1903 October 1906 Flight Time 12 sec. 19.5 sec. Area Covered 120' (feet) 197' (feet)
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